Meadowland

Publisher's Summary

Meadowland gives a unique and intimate account of an English meadow’s life from January to December, together with its biography. In exquisite prose, John Lewis-Stempel records the passage of the seasons from cowslips in spring to the hay-cutting of summer and grazing in autumn, and includes the biographies of the animals that inhabit the grass and the soil beneath: the badger clan, the fox family, the rabbit warren, the skylark brood and the curlew pair, among others. Their births, lives, and deaths are stories that thread through the book from first page to last.

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While this is not a contender for a contemporary classic of nature writing, (John Lewis-Stempel is ok but no polished, prose stylist) the first person perspective is an engaging landsman's account based upon diary entries and is full of little treasures.

Unfortunately David Thorpe is miscast. His rather emphatic, workmanly rendition sounds like a youthful townie rather than the mature countryman writing about deep connection to place and regional context. There's a prevailing sense of tonal inauthenticity throughout I found difficult to ignore.

I suspect a modest authorial lyricism is also somewhat submerged by this reading. I'm not looking for a Hovis voice-over, but the soul of Mr. Lewis Stempel is that of an authentic contemporary son of the soil, and his account balances unsentimental truth with an admiration for the visionary perspective offered by predecessors picking up pen as plough. So there's a gentle grace to it which has been somewhat downplayed in this particular audio version. Pity.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Meadowland?

At one point the author is obliged to reap the field using a scythe. The spirit of the experience is beautifully captured I thought.

Would you be willing to try another one of David Thorpe’s performances?

Yes, but only if I thought the type of book was compatible with his style.

Was Meadowland worth the listening time?

Certainly.

Any additional comments?

Fans of this sort of stuff would probably be better off reading the book for themselves.